Unfair and racist treatment of black coaches must stop | Opinion

Willie Taggart, head coach of the Florida State football team, is one of many black coaches who have faced blatant racial scrutiny. Just recently, after a disappointing loss to the University of Florida, one fan posted an inflammatory meme depicting the coach being lynched. The university quickly addressed the situation, calling it completely "ignorant and despicable," but black people knew the deal. As soon as Taggart stepped foot in Tallahassee to coach one of the largest and most successful programs in college football, we knew his days were not only numbered from the get-go, but that he would also face a racial lashing.

A picture posted on social media showed a lynching of Florida State head coach Willie Taggart.

A picture posted on social media showed a lynching of Florida State head coach Willie Taggart.

Melina Myers, USA TODAY Sports

More often than not, black coaches are fired or forced to resign and do not get a second chance to head coach again. In almost every case, the schools hire a white coach as successor. To date, only one black coach has been fired and then hired to lead another major college program -- Tyrone Willingham, who was let go at Notre Dame and went on to be hired by the University of Washington. The kicker is that this was more than a decade ago. We have seenother coaches, such as Charlie Strong, who have had difficulties despite being pioneers in their profession. Wins and losses are always the cause for coaching changes, but black coaches are held to a much higher standard. And once they are on the chopping block their days are numbered. The question is why are white coaches of major programs having no trouble getting other major jobs after being fired, but black coaches fail to do so? Not only that, why are major schools not hiring them? I will leave it up to you to judge whether this is subconscious bias by athletic directors or racial discrimination -- while serving you a major dose of side eye.

We have seen white coaches being unsuccessful not only professionally but also personally. This has included cover-ups, moral deceit and even criminal probes. These guys sit in positions for years or are given jobs and second chances on a silver platter. What a privilege. In my opinion, it is extremely troubling that in a league where more than half its players are black, approximately 8 percent of its head coaches are. The numbers just don’t add up.

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To the fans I ask, where do you get off? What gives any of you the right to spew your racism toward any of our beloved coaches? Our men of color work tirelessly and relentlessly their whole lives just to receive a spot on a college or professional roster. It is even more difficult to go on to become a head football coach as a black man. We make up more than half of most football and basketball rosters on the basis of talent and an acquired skill set, and because you purchase tickets or sit in the stands that gives you the right to publicly harass us? Get over yourselves.

I believe it is time we have a serious discussion on where we go from here. Sports are beginning to exhibit a slave master vs. slave relationship. We are already protesting and taking knees, and our men are still being treated as less than human. As our children delve heavily into Pop Warner leagues and school-based athletic programs, if predominately white institutions do not provide us athletic opportunities that also come with respect, human dignity and without the racial whippings from fans, is it time to consider more of our historically black collegiate institutions for ourselves and our children? It is hard conversation to have, but one we might need to explore.

Angela Dennis lives and works in Knoxville and is a freelance writer and blogger.